Memorial Day
May 31, 2004
Hide the Valuables...
May 29, 2004
Well, you are bound to see some new folks around here. I am flattered to have been listed on a new site called CSS Beauty. The site showcases designs featuring good ol' standards based code.
Many thanks to Alex and the folks at CSS Beauty and welcome one and all. No kool-aid on the carpet...
When Will They Ever Learn...
May 25, 2004
In my work with the CCSB, I run into all kinds of people who use PowerPoint, some rather religiously (pardon the pun). Obviously I see the whole spectrum of quality in these presentations, depending on the user's ability and experience with the program. The rather shocking thing to me is how often I see old school clip art (circa 1992) creeping into today's presentations which, without such graphics, might look halfway decent design-wise.
Well, after taking the new Office 2004 for the Mac for a test drive, I know why these little buggers continue to plague us...
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northoftheborder :: Take 2
May 24, 2004
This has been in the hopper for some time now, I have really been wanting to redesign this sucker. When I first decided to blog, it was a typical "Brad" decision, take the fastest route possible to accomplish the task. What was left behind was a poorly laid out, hard to manipulate site that resembled a mullet. Looking good in the front, trouble in the back...
I wanted to retain the black and white feel, but add some more shades. I pulled a nice pic off of istockphoto (my favorite new resource) for the banner image and utilized inner shadows (since everyone seems to be using outer shadows these days) to give some depth. I decided to use Trebuchet MS for type, even with the recent outcry against it in the web community.
Next was to decide to use or not to use the new Movable Type 3.0. At first I balked, seeing the new pricing structure and limits on the free version made me run into the arms of other women (figuratively of course), mainly Wordpress and Textpattern. I spent quite a bit of time in both, but in the end just didn't click with either. Two really fine products though. At last I downloaded the new MT3 and I must say I'm pleased. Not a ton of new features, but the new administration interface alone is worth the upgrade.
So here it is, northoftheborder v2. New to the site are archives of all previous entries by both date and category and a new in-page commeting system. Enjoy....
Like It? Hate It? Indifferent?
iTunes Music Store: My First Twenty Bucks
May 20, 2004
I have seen the light...and it burns.
In the course of the evening last night I heard a song that made me say, "Hey, I wouldn't mind having that one in the vault." Later on, I opened up iTunes and in about 2 minutes the song was in my Library in the beautiful AAC digital format (Bye bye mp3...). Just for fun, I jumped over to my "Purchased Music" playlist to see how many songs I had forked over a buck for since the inception of the ITMS. The answer? Twenty. Twenty stinkin' songs since I started using the service back in February. Do you see the beauty of that? If you do, see ya next time. If not, read on...
Used to be, you headed out to Wal-mart to find the CD which housed that catchy hit everyone just loved on the radio. Then the buyer's remorse was palpable as you discovered that every one of the fourteen other songs on the disc belonged on a made for TV compilation disc with New Kids on the Block and Aaron Neville. The result: 1 song you really like, 14 songs you really don't and 20 bucks down the drain. Then came Napster...
Napster changed everything. Now you could find that one song and download it without a) paying for it and b) listening to those other 14 songs while trying not to be sick. A few problems though, one of them being insanely long download times. Also, the lossy, hissy mp3 files. And mainly, it was illegal. Try all the self-righteous arguments you want (believe me, they used to flow out of my word bucket too), but any way you turn it, you were stealing from someone.
Now we have swung back towards center. We can go online, buy 20 dollars worth of music and like every bit of it. 20 bucks, 20 songs I really want. Not to mention that they come in a near CD quality digital file, download in less than 30 seconds thanks to dedicated, always on servers and to boot it's all above board and legal. Not too shabby.
And now, some of the highlights of my first 20 purchases:
- The Last Resort - The Eagles
- 3 AM - Edwin McCain
- More than Words - Extreme
- Hallelujiah - Jeff Buckley
Et tu Bruté?
Happy Birthday - Part Duex
May 11, 2004
Another week, another birthday in the fam. Love ya sis...
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Ma...
May 4, 2004
It is that time of year again, when the Daily clan begins the birthday round-up. First on the list is momma, who is one year older today (I'll let you ask her how many that makes).
So here's to you mom, the 24-time winner of the bradleyboy mom of the year award (BBMOTYA for short). Insiders indicate she is the front-runner for number 25 to be announced next week.
In all seriousness, hope you have a great day and I love and miss you!